SEA Children's Heart Fund Provides Life Saving Surgery

September 24, 2014

Chanida Limpanaporn, who is lovingly called “Kade” by her family, will be 12-years-old in October. While having a birthday every year is common for some families, the Limpanaporn family of Bangkok, Thailand doesn’t take the milestone for granted considering Kade nearly died in infancy.

“While her mother was in pregnancy, everything was normal. However, after Kade was born, her skin turned blue. Therefore, she had to stay in an incubator with oxygen control,” Kade’s father said. “The doctor found that there was a transposition of thegreat arteries; however, Kade then was too small to have a surgery and needed intensive care.”

The transposition of the great arteries (TGA) is a heart condition that is present at birth, and often is called a congenital heart defect. TGA occurs when the two main arteries going out of the heart — the pulmonary artery and the aorta — are switched in position, or “transposed.”

“At that time, the family was worried because we did not know where they could get the money because the cost of the surgery was high,” Kade’s father continued. “I was a motorbike taxi driver and my wife was a factory worker. We were lucky that Taksin Hospital transferred our new-born baby to the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Foundation (PCSF), Rajavithi Hospital. Kade was taken care by a team of doctors and was able to undergo the surgery when she was 10-months-old.”

Nu Skin Southeast Asia Children’s Heart Fund (SEA CHF) is a partner with PCSF, a charity organization that works closely with the Institute of Cardiovascular Disease at Rajavithi Hospital. This collaboration was formed with the sole purpose of increasing the number of operations performed on children with congenital heart disease belonging to needy families around the country. In 2013, the foundation performed surgeries on 659 children through Nu Skin SEA CHF. To date, more than 5,600 children have been given life-saving operations from funds donated by Nu Skin SEA CHF that pays for surgeries for children whose families cannot afford them.

“After the surgery, we felt as if we had got our child back. Her physical development was normal and she could return home with no sign of baby blue,” Kade’s father said. “As she grew up, we noticed that her memory was perfectly formed. She could identify different types and brands of car. Whenever she went outside, she would read all the advertising on billboards. I was so proud of her because she not only recovered from her sickness, but also turned out to be a very smart girl.”

Kade achieves a grade point average of 3.8 and higher and is described as confident, talkative and helpful with extra-curricular activities. She is adored by her friends and teachers and spend her free time helping her mother clean and babysits her cousin.

“Without the help from the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Foundation and Nu Skin, we would not have had Kade today,” her father said. “I do not know how to thank you all of you enough. Especially when we know that Nu Skin (through the Southeast Asia Heart Fund) has been supporting the surgeries for children at the foundation, I am happier than ever because I believe that there are a lot of children from poor families who are still waiting for this kind of help. Thank you so much.”